1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of electromagnetic flow meters, in particular to inserts for flow meters and to methods of manufacturing such inserts and assembling the flow meters.
2. Description of the Related Technology
An electromagnetic flow meter using a pre-formed insert is discussed in the applicant's United Kingdom Patent No. 2328021, together with a description of such inserts and methods for their manufacture. In particular, it is noted that, in a conventional method in which no insert is used, difficulty and expense may be encountered at the point of assembling the meter components into a portion of a pipeline, since a wide variety of pipeline configurations exist and it is generally necessary to construct flow meters bespoke to fit the various structures.
GB-A-2328021 discloses a sensor assembly, or flow meter insert, which may be pre-formed and inserted into a spool piece. The spool piece may then be arranged in series in a pipeline to allow the flow meter to measure the flow of fluid in the pipeline. Sections of the insert may be manufactured from a deformable material, for example a resiliently deformable material such as rubber, and the shape and structure of the insert may be supported by reinforcing components moulded into the rubber.